Employees at Nottingham Trent University have created a fabric that can serve as a charger for mobile devices, according to the Daily Mail. This is achieved due to the fact that 1200 miniature solar cells measuring 5 mm by 1.5 mm are embedded in the textile material. Each element has a waterproof polymer resin coating and is connected by flexible wiring to the others. In total, this "solar" power plant is capable of generating up to 400 milliwatts of electricity - an amount that is enough to charge a smart watch or mobile phone.
According to the developers, the material looks and behaves like ordinary textiles: it breathes, withstands stress, it can be washed in the machine along with other clothes at 40 ° C. Now the textile is at the stage of an advanced prototype, and in the future it could be used in outerwear like jackets or backpacks.